Thieves strip cars of cash and cricket bat

A number of Queenstown car owners have been left counting the cost after a spate of break-ins to unlocked vehicles.
Ten cars were targeted by thieves in the past week, with items taken including cash, an MP3 player and an expensive cricket bat.

Between last Thursday and Friday nights, six vehicles were robbed in upmarket Kelvin Heights, three were done at the same address in Lake Hayes Estate and another motor was broken into at the Remarkables Park residential area of Frankton.

“The common factor here is that all the vehicles were left unlocked,” local constable Sean Drader says. “That’s what keys are for – it’s a simple enough concept to grasp.

“If cars are secured and valuables not in sight, it greatly reduces the likelihood of people becoming victims and criminals are more likely to move on to easier pickings.”

Trouble on home front

A 35-year-old local man was slapped with five charges after cops were called to a domestic dust-up in Gibbston at 8.30pm last Sunday.

He was found to be in possession of a firearm for which he didn’t have a licence and faces three further charges of assault – some relating to historical incidents – and one of speaking threateningly.

“The firearm wasn’t connected to the domestic, where the guy had allegedly been having a barney with his wife.

“But when it was discovered in a room it was seized as a matter of course,” Drader says.

Knicker knocker at large

A female visitor from the United States reported she had three pairs of knickers and a set of camping pots taken from her tent while staying at Frankton Camping Ground last Friday.

“Because items of womens’ underwear were stolen there could be a sexual element to this,” Drader observes.

“We would like to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious going on in the area.”

Meanwhile, a female tourist from Sweden had her bag containing credit cards taken while bunking at Nomad backpackers on Monday.

“The lady apparently had a huge night out on the turps and was staying in a room with ten other people when the alleged theft happened,” Drader says.

Night creeper strikes again

Cops warn a prowler could still be on the loose in Arrowtown.

It was reported in last week’s Crime Stoppers that two residents in the area had been woken by noises outside their homes and on one of the occasions a male was seen running off after trying a door in Merioneth Street.

Police have since received a further call from a 65-year-old Arrowtown man saying he heard someone poking around his property at 2.30am on Tuesday.

Cut and run

A burglar was left cut and bleeding after a break-in at the headquarters of the Queenstown Arts Society in Ballarat St in the early hours of last Saturday.

“The intruder smashed a window to get inside and there was blood everywhere,” Drader explains. “They couldn’t get back out the front door because it had a deadbolt on it and whoever forced their way in then lay down on a couch before eventually leaving through another window without stealing anything.”